TECHNICIANS AND INSTRUCTORS TIPS FOR BUYING CROSS COUNTRY SKIS AND OTHER TIPS.

WE HAVE SEVERAL CROSS COUNTRY, DOWNHILL, SNOWBOARD AND SNOWSHOE ADS WITH OUR FAMILY EQUIPMENT FOR SALE POSTED ON ibuyca THAT CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THIS AD. CERTIFIED TECHS ARE QUALIFIED TO FIT YOU FOR AND WORK ON ALL THESE CATAGORIES OF WINTER GEAR!

AND YES A CERTIFIED SKI TECH IS A TRADE! YOU WOULDN'T LET SOMEONE WITHOUT A GAS TICKET WORK ON YOUR FURNACE, SO WHY WOULD YOU LET SOMEONE WORK ON YOUR SKIS OR FIT YOU FOR GEAR WHO IS NOT IN THE TRADE? (WE WILL AD MORE INFORMATION ON A REGULAR BASIS)

THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED AS A COURTESY TO THOSE WHO SEND US QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR GEAR, PURCHASING GEAR, FIXING GEAR, WAXING AND HOW TO FIND A QUALIFIED PERSON FROM WHOM TO PUCHASE SKIS. WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP WITH THIS INFORMATION.

1) ALWAYS PURCHASE YOUR SKIS FROM CERTIFIED SKI TECHS WHO ARE TRADESPEOPLE WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO ASSEMBLE, REPAIR AND FIT YOU FOR CROSS COUNTRY SKIS. IF YOU SEE ibuyca ADS THAT ARE PRICED AT FAIR MARKET PRICE, AND ADVERTISED BY SKI TECHS, THAT IS USUALLY A GOOD SIGN. SKI SHOPS WILL ALSO PRESENT GEAR FOR SALE BY VARIOUS ADVERTISING METHODS, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO PAY RETAIL PRICES. PEOPLE WHO MISREPRESENT THEMSELVES AS QUALIFIED TO FIT PEOPLE ARE VERY EASY TO WEED OUT ON INTERNET SITES. FIRST, THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, AND MAKE SURE YOU ASK THEM A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SECOND, THERE WILL BE MANY MISTAKES IN THE SETS. THIRD, IT WILL BE SUCH A LOW PRICE, IT WILL MAKE YOU WONDER WHY ARE SKI TECHS SELLING THESE TYPE OF SKIS FOR MORE MONEY, AND THIS QUESTIONABLE AD IS SELLING THEM FOR NEXT TO NOTHING? YOU WILL FIND OUT THE REASON IF YOU BUY SKIS FROM UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE WHEN YOU GET OUT ON THE TRAILS. PROFESSIONAL ADS ARE JUST THAT, PROFESSIONAL ADS. THOSE ADS WILL CLEARLY STATE CERTIFIED SKI TECHS OR SKI TECH OR SKI TECHNICIAN. THOSE ARE YOUR TRADES PEOPLE.

2) NEVER BUY SKIS THAT ARE SOLD AS A PACKAGE. SKIS NEED TO BE ASSEMBLED TO FIT YOUR STATS. QUESTIONABLE ADS WITH ASSEMBLED SKI SETS THAT SUGGEST CERTAIN WEIGHT RANGES OR OTHER RIDICULOUS DETAILS THAT SUGGEST THESE PIECES WILL FIT YOU IF YOU ARE THAT WEIGHT, RUN FOREST RUN! THE PEOPLE SELLING THESE MULTIPLE SETS ARE CLEARLY NOT QUALIFIED TO FIT YOU FOR SKIS. THESE ADS ARE EASY TO SPOT FOR A CERTIFIED TECH. THERE ARE MANY MISTAKES IN THE SETS AND ADS. QUALIFIED TECHS WILL HAVE ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND THE ADS MAY ADVERTISE A SET, BUT THEY WILL NEVER INDICATE WEIGHT RANGES OR OTHER RIDICULOUS INFORMATION THAT IS NOT CORRECT OR RELEVENT TO THAT SET. TECHS ASK YOU QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO YOU IN ORDER TO FIT YOU CORRECTLY, AND THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THAT INFORMATION. THIS IS WHY THEY ASK YOU QUESTIONS PRIVY TO THE TRADE. IF YOU KNOW A SKI TECH, HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE AD FOR YOU. THEY WILL TELL YOU IF IT IS A SKI TECH'S AD. WE CAN SPOT THE IMPOSTERS VERY QUICKLY, BUT THE AVERAGE JOE CAN BE FOOLED BY PEOPLE LOOKING TO SEPARATE YOU FROM YOUR MONEY WITHOUT THE PROMISE OF QUALITY CORRECTLY FITTED GEAR, MATCHING PIECES, BROKEN PIEICES OR SUFFICIENT CAMBER IN THE SKI.

3) IF YOU CANNOT FIND USED OR NEW SETS BEING SOLD BY QUALIFIED TECHS ON SITES LIKE ibuyca, GO TO A REPUTABLE SKI SHOP FOR YOUR PURCHASE.

4) DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF SKIING YOU WANT TO DO. (CLASSIC, SKATE, BACKCOUNTRY ETC.) IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER, IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO START WITH CLASSIC TRAIL SKIING ON GROOMED TRAILS. SKATE SKIS AND BACKCOUNTRY SKIS WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE SETS. THERE ARE MANY LEVELS OF CLASSIC SKIS, BUT IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO PURCHASE MID-LEVEL GEAR AT THE LEAST. THOSE SETS WILL LAST LONGER THAN CHEAP INTRODUCTORY GEAR. MOST CERTIFIED TECHS WILL RECOMMEND MORE QUALITY GEAR.

5) DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF SKIS YOU WANT TO PUCHASE. BE AWARE THAT SKIN SKIS REQUIRE A MAINTENANCE KIT AND WILL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE SKINS AFTER SO MANY MILES. SKIN SKIS DO NOT PERFORM WELL IN COLDER WEATHER. SO IF YOU LIVE IN BC OR HALIFAX, THEY MAY BE AN OPTION FOR YOU. WINNIPEG IS A COLD PLACE!

6) IF SOMEONE IS SELLING YOU A SET OF SKIS, AND THEY SEEM KIND OF SHORT, THEY PROBABLY ARE TOO SMALL FOR YOU. THIS USUALLY INDICATES SOMEONE TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING THAT IS NOT RIGHT FOR YOU. YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY PERFORMANCE FROM SKIS THAT ARE NOT FITTED PROPERLY FOR YOUR STATURE. THE SAME APPLIES FOR SKIS THAT ARE TOO LONG FOR YOU. EXPECT NO PERFORMANCE FROM ILL FITTED SKIS.

7) CROSS COUNTRY SKIS ARE EXPENSIVE. EXPECT TO PAY $550 AND UP FOR A COMPLETE SET OF INTRODUCTORY CHEAP SKIS IN THE SHOPS. MID-LEVEL OR UPPER LEVEL SKIS WILL COST YOU SUBSTANTIALLY MORE MONEY. ALWAYS GO TO A REPUTABLE SHOP IF YOU CHOOSE TO BY FROM A SHOP. IF YOU WANT TO FIND USED GEAR OR A FAIR MARKET PRICE FOR NEW GEAR, LOOK FOR AN AD WITH A CERTIFIED SKI TECH.

8) ALWAYS ASK FOR A SKI TECH IF YOU NEED WORK ON YOUR SKIS OR WANT TO HAVE YOUR SKIS WAXED. REPUTABLE SHOPS WILL ALWAYS WAX YOUR SKIS WITHOUT ATTEMPTS TO TELL YOU THAT YOU MUST BUY NEW GEAR, UNLESS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SKIS. CAMBER IS THE USUAL PROBLEM, BUT IF YOU ARE IN A REPUTABLE SHOP THAT RECOGNIZES YOUR OLDER SKI SET IS STILL VIABLE, THEY WILL SIMPLY WAX YOUR SKIS AND RETURN THEM TO YOU. REPUTABLE SHOPS RECOGNIZE YOU WILL COME BACK TO THEM WHEN YOU DECIDE TO UPGRADE OR REPLACE EXPIRED SKIS.

9) SKI TECHS WILL ALWAYS EXPLAIN MANY THINGS TO YOU ABOUT YOUR GEAR. SOMEONE WHO JUST HANDS OFF SKIS OR SUGGESTS YOU FIT YOURSELF, IS USUALLY NOT QUALIFIED TO FIT YOU. ALSO, THOSE WHO STATE THEY CAN FIT YOU IN AN AD, AND HAVE ADS THAT ILLUSTRATE OBVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE GEAR, ARE NOT A SKI TECH.

10) ALWAYS WAX YOUR SKIS TO EXPERIENCE GOOD PERFORMANCE, ENHANCE PERFORMANCE, AND PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR SKIS. A SKI TECH WILL BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU AND EDUCATE YOU ON YOUR SKIS AND HOW TO WAX THEM.

11) ALWAYS ENSURE YOUR SKI SET IS FITTED WITH THE CORRECT BOOTS. IF YOU USE CLASSIC SKI BOOTS ON A SET OF SKATE SKIS, YOU MAY BE HEADED TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. WE HAVE SEEN MANY MISMATCHED SKI SETS THAT CLAIM TO BE A SKATE SKI SET, BUT ARE MATCHED WITH CLASSIC BOOTS!

12) WAXING - FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, ALWAYS USE THE CORRECT WAX FOR DIFFERENT SNOW CONDITIONS AND TEMPERATURES. A CERTIFIED SKI TECH CAN WAX YOUR SKIS AND EDUCATE YOU ABOUT THE CORRECT SUPPLIES TO DO YOUR OWN WAXING.

13) REPAIRS - MANY REPAIRS CAN BE COMPLETED ON CROSS COUNTRY SKI SETS. NEVER DISGARD YOUR SKI SETS. FIND A CERTIFIED SKI TECH, AND YOU MAY JUST SAVE YOURSELF A BUNDLE OF MONEY WITH A REPAIR INSTEAD OF A NEW PURCHASE.

14) OLD SKIS VS. NEW SKIS - BASICALLY YOU CAN SKI ON ANY AGE OF SKI AS LONG AS IT IS FITTED PROPERLY FOR YOU AND IT HAS SUFFICIENT CAMBER. SO DON'T WRITE OFF THE OLD GEAR IF IT IS FITTED FOR YOU. NEW SKI SETS HAVE CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, BUT IF THAT IS NOT YOUR FOCUS, SKI AWAY ON THE OLDER GEAR. YOU CAN ALWAYS UPGRADE IF YOU DECIDE YOU WANT NEWER GEAR, OR KEEP THE OLD SET FOR FRIENDS TO USE WITH YOU.

15) IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF LARGER STATURE AND OVER 200LBS, YOU WILL REQUIRE CERTAIN SKIS. IF YOU ARE 225LBS AND UP, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RENT SKIS FOR YOUR STATURE. YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE A CUSTOM SET, OR YOU WILL NOT MOVE ON THE SKIS. CUSTOM SETS ARE ASSEMBLED BY KNOWLEDGEABLE SKI TECHS WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. THERE ARE TECHS THAT SPECIALIZE IN FITTING PEOPLE OF LARGER STATURES AND OTHER CHALLENGES. SKI COMPANIES FOCUS ON THE GENERAL POPULATION WITH THEIR PRODUCTS, NOT THOSE WHO ARE LARGER IN STATURE. WE SPECIALIZE IN PEOPLE OF LARGER STATURE AND A FEW OTHER CHALLENGES. WE ARE TECHS THAT HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO WORK WITH THOSE CHALLENGES. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW AROUND WHO HAVE SPECIALTIES, BUT IT IS WORTH THE FIND IF YOU HAVE A CHALLENGE.

THESE TIPS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY CERTIFIED SKI TECHS. WE HOPE THIS HAS HELPED YOU WITH YOUR CROSS COUNTRY SKI QUESTIONS.